Just a short while after their draft selections, former collegiate basketball standouts Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso made their much-anticipated debut appearances in the WNBA.

Reese, Cardoso, and the remainder of their Chicago Sky teammates journeyed to Minnesota for a preseason matchup against the Lynx. However, fans who anticipated tuning in to the contest via the WNBA’s app were disappointed to discover that the platform was unable to broadcast the game.

The league’s app erroneously indicated the game as available for viewing, resulting in confusion. The WNBA later clarified that only Caitlin Clark’s debut with the Indiana Fever was being televised.

But a social media user came to the rescue and initiated an impromptu livestream.

“Would y’all want me to try and stream the game on here??” @heyheyitsalli queried on X, formerly known as Twitter. “no promises on the quality but i can try.”

Viewer numbers on the livestream varied, but by Saturday, the video had amassed approximately 434,000 total views. The X user previously shared a screenshot indicating that the stream peaked at 173,381 live viewers.

Shortly following the Lynx’s 92-81 victory over the Sky, Minnesota coach Cheryl Reese quipped that the social media user who streamed the game should receive some financial compensation for their efforts.

“Anybody that watched it should send three bucks to the person, I don’t even know who it is,” Reese remarked. “I think that what I would say is that the growth is happening so fast. It’s so accelerated. And I’ve been saying this in our own organization – that business as usual isn’t going to work anymore.

“You’re gonna get left behind and this is an example.”

Reese also acknowledged that it made sense for Clark’s preseason debut to take precedence. She suggested that the excitement surrounding Clark and other players has a trickle-down effect, ultimately benefiting the overall enthusiasm across the league.

“People want to see that, but they also want to see, you know, it’s not just about Caitlin,” Reese stated. “This isn’t Caitlin’s fault in any way. It’s more, you know, the recognition that there’s general excitement about the WNBA in ways that we haven’t seen before. And so we have to capitalize to really ensure that this is a movement.”

Reese concluded the game with 13 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes, while Cardoso contributed six points and four rebounds in 13 minutes.

Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon expressed satisfaction with the rookies’ debuts.

“This is a learning process for all of us…. And we’re going through that process in the right way,” she said. “We got our leaders leading them, pulling them along. Keeping them confident. That’s what matters. So we’re in a great place, and they’re in a hell of a great place.”